Perodua Alza- new mpv

Here it is – the new Perodua Alza! We’ve been following the
development of this MPV ever since we first got news of its existence
back in early 2008, where it was reported that Toyota and Daihatsu were
going to build a new MPV and produce it in Indonesia. When the Daihatsu Luxio MPV
came out we all got a shock – that more of a van so we waited patiently
until Christmas last year when the Toyota Passo Sette was finally
unveiled in Japan. Nearly a year later, the Perodua-badged model with a
new front, rear and interior is here. Read the full details after the
jump.


Alot of people that are casually (not urgent) in the market for an
MPV will have probably been waiting for the D46T project to be launched
for a long time now. After all, the majority of the country can only
afford either a Proton or a Perodua, and you really have to wonder why
it took them so long to serve this market niche when all of its
competitors have been priced out of affordability.
The national MPVs should have come sooner so that consumers who have
big families would not have needed to stuff their 5-seaters to the brim
whenever they needed to balik kampung.
I have to say that with the Myvi, the Japanese Passo looked better,
but with the Alza I feel our own Malaysian design team has trumped the
Japanese guys. The Passo Sette had this slightly bulgy-eyed look while
the Alza looks far more sleeker. I don’t see any reason why anyone
would want to ‘convert’ their Alza back to a Passo Sette but then again
design is a subjective personal thing.
As for the name Alza, it actually means ‘to rise’ in Spanish.
Probably symbolises Perodua rising up the product segments once again –
its cars are getting bigger and bigger.

The Perodua Alza’s headlamps also come with projector lenses for the
main beam across the entire line-up. I’m not saying you should be doing
this but for those that want to retrofit HID bulbs to the Alza, the
projector lenses will result in a relatively cleaner and nicer looking
light beam.
On the rear you get LED tail lamps and for the Premium version you
also get a spoiler. There is a bee sting antenna located towards the
rear of the roof but towards the left rear instead of being positioned
smack in the middle. Perodua says this is so that the owner will be
able to flip the antenna down when required easily as compared to if it
was in the middle. There are a few colours to choose from but
personally I’m digging the Classy Purple, which is a new colour.
How much is the new Perodua Alza?
So anyway, here we are finally, the Perodua Alza. The smaller MPV
also comes with a smaller price tag, though Proton has worked to
introduce the Exora Basic as well. Perodua says the Alza project first
started off as the D46T about 3 years ago. The Japanese version was
unveiled on Christmas day last year.

It’s cheaper than the Exora though technically it isn’t the cheapest
in the market. Changan-Berjaya sells their Chana Era CM8 “van” at
prices starting from under RM40k.

Perodua Alza 1.5L Standard M/T Solid – RM55,490 Metallic – RM55,990 S. Metallic – RM56,190	Perodua Alza 1.5L Standard A/T Solid – RM58,490 Metallic – RM58,990 S. Metallic – RM59,190
Perodua Alza 1.5L Premium M/T Solid – RM60,490 Metallic – RM60,990 S. Metallic – RM61,190	Perodua Alza 1.5L Premium A/T Solid – RM63,490 Metallic – RM63,990 S. Metallic – RM64,190

*S. Metallic – Pearl White
Datuk Syed Hafiz revealed that a sportier version with a bodykit,
GPS navigation and a reverse camera will be introduced in March 2010,
though I think showrooms are already taking bookings for this version
now. This model will be premium and auto-only, and will go for RM69,990
which is RM6k on top of the Metallic Premium automatic.
How big is the Perodua Alza?

	Alza	Exora	Livina 1.6	Avanza 1.5	Rondo	Innova
Kerb Weight	1,150kg	1,422kg	1,245kg	1,120kg	1,563kg	1,575kg
Length	4,205	4,592	4,420	4,150	4,545	4,580
Width	1,695	1,809	1,690	1,630	1,800	1,770
Height	1,620	1,691	1,590	1,695	1,650	1,755
Wheelbase	2,750	2,730	2,600	2,655	2,700	2,750
Track (F)	1,475	1,542	1,470	1,415	1,573	1,510
Track (R)	1,465	1,530	1,475	1,425	1,569	1,510
Fuel Tank	42L	55L	52L	45L	55L	55L
Power (hp)	104hp	125hp	104hp	108hp	142hp	134hp
Torque (Nm)	136Nm	150Nm	150Nm	141Nm	189Nm	182Nm
kg/Nm	8.45	9.48	8.3	7.94	8.27	8.65

Above you will find a comparison of various MPVs available in the
Malaysian market. The Alza’s power output and weight is actually quite
similiar to the Avanza’s, which means performance should be comparable.
The Alza and Avanza actually use the same 3SZ-VE engine though the
Alza’s is transverse and the Avanza’s is longitudinal for rear wheel
drive installation. There is a discrepancy with the power figures
quoted above for the Alza and Avanza engine, but I think it’s because
Perodua gave DIN numbers while the Toyota numbers are a different kind
of measurement.
Is there enough power?
When we drove the Alza under a load of 4 to 5 people it was quite
possible to drive in a relaxed manner, though pace was rather hampered.
Driving it in a “youthful” manner with hurried progress called for the
engine to be revved into the upper boundaries of the rev range most of
the time. What made it worse is the fact that the engines did not seem
to be run in properly, and most of us in the same car agreed.

Veteran journo Leeps (who went ahead and bought one after the media
preview drive) described it as being kinda ‘tight’, while to me the
sensation was of an inconsistent torque curve (also reflected in RPM
needle progress) that kept dipping randomly. It’s really quite a bummer
as when things like this happens it does not reflect the car’s actual
performance (just like the Mazda 3 review unit earlier this year),
leaving a big blank question mark in my review expectations. So watch
out for another review later, as this is pretty much just a preview
drive in a circle around the Shangrila Putrajaya, though there was some
very nice curves and uphills and downhills.
With regards to the revviness, you really can’t run away from this
kind of engine behaviour if you try to drive it like a sports car under
heavy loads. The engine has no problems taking the car around gently. I
really wouldn’t consider it a significant improvement over the Exora
but I found throttle response to be zipper compared to the Campro CPS.
Thankfully the sound insulation for the Alza preview drive units (and
the Exora) are sufficient to supress any excessive vibrations. The
Alza’s engine remained sounding refined up to the redline, despite the
inconsistent power delivery issues.
How big is the Alza on the inside?
When I saw the specs list it looked promising as the Alza has got a
wheelbase of 2,750mm which is even longer than the Exora’s. But it
really depends on how you package the vehicle together so a longer
wheelbase may not translate to a longer interior space. Perodua has
provided some data on the Alza’s interior dimensions.

Click for enlarged image
The first row is great. The seats can go back as much as I want it
to and the ergonomics for the manual transmission gear lever seems
better than the Myvi as I didn’t feel it was too far up front. The
automatic transmission model’s shift lever is positioned at the
dashboard while the handbrake is actually a foot brake. This frees up
the space in between the front two seats, but instead of leaving it
empty Perodua decided to extend the driver seat leftwards to fill up
the space.
But that space cannot really be used as a seat because the part of
the dashboard with the air cond panel and the gear lever juts out too
much. I also like the armrest that you can fold down – it feels quite
soft.

I did not like the fact that the manual model had no arm rests so I
suggested to the Perodua engineers that accompanied us during the drive
that perhaps they should add a seat-mounted armrest like the Honda
CRV’s to the manual model. They took note of it.
The center meter panel is lit up with blue and white illumination
with the Premium model while the regular model gets amber illumination,
though both are of the self-illuminating Optitron type. There is only
manual air conditioning controls available and they look like the same
parts used in the Vios.

The second row has the ability to slide back and forth. In a sliding
mechanism there is less space freed up for third row passengers to get
proper footing on the way out compared to a tumble-fold mechanism so
there is a short overslide where you can slide it little extra towards
the front to help the third row passengers get out.

Because of the low roof and the generally tight space it’s not easy
to get into the back. And while I could sit in the third row of the
Exora without my knee touching the second row (albeit a little
uncomfortably due to not so optimum leg angles), sitting in the third
row of the Alza resulted in my knee pushing against the second row seat
back. A good thing the seat back is made of a soft material. But then
again I am 181cm so please head on to the showroom to check out the
Alza to see if it fits your space requirements. BTW, the third row is a
single bench with no split.

And then there is also the issue of an awkward exit for an adult in
the second row when you have set the position of the second row to
allow for someone to sit comfortably in the third row. Your feet will
actually be positioned way in front of the B pillar, so you’ll have to
make awkward maneuvers with your leg in order to get out properly.
There’s no issue in exiting the second row when you have the second
row pushed far back, but you can’t do that when there are people in the
third row waiting for you to get out of the car so they can get out
themselves! So there’s really no solution for the awkward 2nd row exit
and its an ergonomic flaw.

If I were to buy an Alza I would just great it as a 5 seater and
leave the third row permanently down. Then I would slide the second row
all the way to the back so that all four to five passengers in the car
can get good legroom. To me, this isn’t an Exora competitor but more of
a Persona/Waja competitor.
The Alza is best used as wagon substitute for a sedan. The same
space as a sedan (perhaps even better) and a more flexible storage
area. When you turn it into an MPV, somehow there are just too many
compromises to be made, unless you are talking about children only for
the third row. In that situation it would probably work great!
If you’re worried about not getting used to the foot brake initially
and always leaving it activated while you drive off, according to the
specs list there’s supposed to be a little buzzer that warns you about
it although I did not try it myself.
How’s the luggage space?

I’ll let the photo speak for itself. The luggage space depth is
about 30cm but the third row kinda slants rearwards so you have more of
a triangular wedge kind of boot space. WIth the third row folded, the
luggage space grows up to 89.5cm in length. It’s a Myvi with a good
sized boot. And BTW, yes there is a spare tyre located under the car
but it s a temp tyre and not a full sized tyre.

You can click the image above to view all the various compartments in the car. There are loads of cupholders.
How does the Perodua Alza handle?

Click to view our test drive route
The Alza behaves surprisingly decently around the bends on our test
route. It’s definitely better than the Myvi. All four of us in the Alza
1.5 Premium A/T were all pleasantly surprised by this. I also had no
complaints about the weighting of the power steering system – a decent
weight makes it easier to point instead of being overassisted where it
turns too easily and makes it hard for the driver to hold it in the
position he or she wants through a bend.
When I asked the engineers, they said the Alza had improved
suspension settings and it was likely that the biggest contributor to
the Alza’s decent behaviour around corners is the addition of a rear
stabilizer bar. The Myvi does not have this.

The rest of the suspension layout is similiar to the Myvi’s –
MacPherson struts at the front and a torsion bar at the rear. The
wheels are 15 inchers across the range and the tyres are 185/55R15.
The manual gearshift while in a good position to be reached of
course does not offer Civic Type R kind of shift feel. It feels very
rubbery and for some reason the feel of putting it into first gear is
just somehow tak sedap, like it only goes in half way or
something, without much feedback to you that the gear is in position.
The rest of the gear positions feel ordinary.
Malaysia is a hot country – how is the air conditioning?
I think this is one of the most important features in an MPV.
Stuffing many annoyed people in a hot vehicle is surely a recipe for
family arguments! There is only one blower in the Perodua Alza and
dashboard-level air conditioning vents are only available at the front.

Click for enlarged image
Perodua says the interior of the Alza’s low roof helps with the air
circulation. You can click the image above to test out some test
results on air conditioning performance that they’ve released. The
tests were performed with a starting cabin temperature of 55 degrees
Celcius and test results were obtained after 11 minutes of driving with
the air cond at maximum performance.
I tried sitting in the rear bench with the air cond blower turned up
and I was surprised that there was sufficient air cond breeze reaching
me. I could even feel the blower air hitting my face when I was
standing outside the rear of the car with the boot open. Based on our
short driving experience in late morning temperature conditions, I
believe the air conditioning system performs sufficiently though you’ll
probably have to wait a few minutes for the last row to be cool and
comfy.

ba jgn kac lama agkt trus

sayang....bukan RWD...macam Avanza

berat bh rwd.. fr la bgs.. jagn2 ko beli trus ko convert bt20v kali.???

aku fikir dulu....hehe

tulah..ringgan lagi avanza kan...kasi lowerd,welding LSD, kasi karas suspension dapat sda kasi 'mpv drift'..hehehe

roti paun worrrr...

kalau ngam teknik inda roti paun pun ble drift bah..hehehe

fr ka tuh

ya fr

4silinder, 16V.....

waa 16v 1.5l..buleh la ni hehe